


a start to the season

by losttheability



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Christmas Decorations, Christmas Fluff, Established Relationship, Idiots in Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:08:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27696049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/losttheability/pseuds/losttheability
Summary: Derek and Spencer start the holiday season off right by putting up Christmas decorations together.
Relationships: Derek Morgan/Spencer Reid
Comments: 4
Kudos: 62





	a start to the season

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's not even thanksgiving yet but I'm already in the christmas mood! also i just finished the rest of my schoolwork for the semester and now i've got some ~free time~ so here's derek and spencer being super sweet while getting ready for the holidayz

Spencer wakes up to the sound of gentle banging and cheerful whistling. He pries his eyes open and squints against the bright light of the morning sun streaming through their bedroom window. He turns his head to look out said window, to where he can see where, or rather _who_ , all the noise is coming from.

He can see Derek’s big, bald head bobbing up and down as he moves along the gutters above their front porch. He finds the inner strength to gather himself up and out of the warmth of bed to go investigate what his boyfriend is up to. He shuffles his way over to the window and pushes it open, calling out, “What’re you up to this early?”

Derek pops his head over the edge of the roof and Spencer’s heart melts a little bit at the wide smile Derek sends his way. “I’m gettin’ into the holiday spirit, pretty boy!” Derek says, raising an arm to show him the string of holiday lights in his hand.

“Well you better be careful! There are over 90,000 ladder-related injuries a year, not to mention how the winter weather will affect your grip and --” Spencer rambles, before Derek’s laughter cuts him off. “Hey! I’m being serious here!”

“Babe, I think if I managed the entire rest of the roof I’ll be able to make it the last 15 feet without incident.”

“Still,” Spencer says, sticking his nose up in the air, “it’s always good to have an extra set of eyes and hands. I’ll be down to supervise in five!” With that, he slams the window shut and not even the glass barrier between them can block out the sound of Derek’s amused snort in response.

He stuffs his feet into his fuzzy slippers and pulls on one of Derek’s crewneck sweaters, but doesn’t bother changing out of his plaid pajama pants. Before he knows it, he’s down the front steps and walking far enough down the walkway that he can see Derek up on the ladder hanging the last few lights. He takes the whole house into view and can see how Derek has run the string of the lights to outline the roof over the second floor and to run along the front of their porch. The ladder can only reach so high, so he knows that Derek must have had to climb up on the roof to get the job done. He’s glad he wasn’t awake and was therefore spared the anxiety playing audience to that scene would certainly invoke.

He watches as Derek climbs his way down the ladder; not far from the bottom he jumps, skipping the last few steps, and lands on the ground with a thud. He whirls around and makes a beeline for Spencer. Derek wraps his arms around Spencer’s thin waist, pulling until their bodies are completely aligned. Spencer then rests his head on Derek’s shoulder and kisses the side of his neck. Spencer hears Derek grumble a “good morning” as he shoves his face into his messy head of hair. They stand like that in the chilly December air, just breathing each other in and basking in the other’s warmth, for a peaceful few minutes.

“Come inside and let me make you breakfast. Then you can help me finish decorating the porch,” Derek offers, giving him a quick peck before pulling on his arm so as to already start corralling him back into the house.

~*~

They wind up wrapping pine garlands and strings of soft white lights around each of the pillars of the front porch. They hang a great, big pine wreath with a red bow on the front door. Derek had also wanted to hang a ring of sleigh bells around the front door handle, but they had to take it down once they figured out it set Clooney on edge every time the door opened and it jingled.

Spencer can’t wait until the sun goes down and the full impact of the outdoor lights can be seen under the dark of the night sky. It’s their first Christmas together since Spencer moved into Derek’s house and it was a wonder to see Derek slowly get excited as December crept closer. The boxes containing every Christmas decoration Derek owned had been brought down from the attic almost a week prior to sit patiently in the entryway until Derek deemed it “seasonably appropriate” to start decorating.

As he and Derek eat dinner it grows darker and darker outside. By the time they finish with the washing up, he’s wearing a grin that he just can’t seem to wipe off his face. One look at Derek and he can see the bright eyes and upward curving lips that give away his excitement. That’s one of the things he loves most about his relationship with Derek; they bring out that childlike wonder and happiness in each other. There’s the constant teasing and lighthearted bickering and Derek always reminding him to 'let loose' and to 'go with the flow.' He used to lament the fact that his childhood wasn’t exactly normal, but he doesn’t mind so much, not if he gets to have _this_ with Derek.

“Are you ready to _officially_ start the Christmas season with me, baby?” Derek asks, breaking Spencer out of his thoughts.

Spencer grabs Derek’s hand and nods his head towards the front door saying, “Lead the way.”

Derek leads him to a spot in the front lawn just left of center -- “the perfect view, I swear!” -- before leaving him again to go plug in the cords. The lights come to life, immediately casting a warm and inviting glow around the house. Spencer feels something settle in his chest, leaving him a little choked up, which he feels ridiculous about but can’t help.

Derek lightly jogs to make his way back over to him. He settles himself slightly behind Spencer and wraps one arm around his waist so that they’re cuddled up as they take in the lights and decorations together. Derek leans forward to rest his chin on Spencer’s shoulder and sighs out in contentment.

“It looks good! I’m very proud of you,” Spencer says very matter-of-factly before turning his head to press a kiss to the side of Derek’s forehead.

“Oh baby this ain’t nothin yet! This is only Day One of decorations, I still got another couple boxes to pick up from storage. I haven’t even gotten started!”

He lets Derek ramble on about his big plans for a homemade gingerbread house and the replica Santa sleigh with reindeer he wants to put on the roof. He listens with a smile on his face as he humors his boyfriend’s holiday fever induced plans. He figures it’s only fair -- Derek _did_ spend the entire month of October putting up with Spencer and his pumpkin guts. Besides, he doesn’t think it will be too big of a hardship to participate in the Christmas cheer, not when he’s got Derek right by his side.

~*~

**Author's Note:**

> Alternate crack!idea: spencer puts his knowledge of electric engineering to good use and goes HAM on the lights and syncs them to music and makes it a whole ass neighborhood attraction like those houses on TLC


End file.
